The Cowboys have won three straight against the Warriors with the last two being by margins of 34 and 28. Cowboys winger Kyle Feldt scored a double in last year’s 34-6 win in Townsville. North Queensland have won 10 of the last 11 meetings in Townsville against New Zealand with six of those wins being by margins of 20-plus.

North Queensland have defied the loss of Johnathan Thurston with five wins in their six games across the Origin period. The Cowboys have posted at least 20 in five of their last six while kept opponents to 12 or fewer in four of their last six. New Zealand are 11th on the ladder with a 7-10 record and have to fight the rest of the season without Shaun Johnson. The Warriors have dropped their last two and have conceded at least 26 in four of their last five away from Mt Smart. New Zealand have scored 21-plus in six straight.

North Queensland Cowboys target their fourth consecutive victory when they play host to the New Zealand Warriors on Saturday night in NRL Round 20 action at 1300SMILES Stadium.

Unbeaten since a one-point loss to competition leaders Melbourne Storm in Round 15, the Cowboys are currently riding a three-match winning streak into this encounter and are just two points off the second-placed Sydney Roosters.

After struggling for so long whenever Johnathan Thurston was either injured or on Origin duty, the Cowboys have figured out how to cope without their superstar halfback, and after being written off as premiership contenders after his season-ending injury, the club from Townsville are right back in the conversation.

Michael Morgan, who was sensational in the second and third Origin games, has really come into his own and developed some leadership qualities in the absence of his halves partner, while the signing of Te Maire Martin has also done wonders for the Cowboys.

With Lachlan Coote and Jake Granville making up the rest of the spine and playing well themselves, the Cowboys are looming as a dark horse for the premiership.

The Warriors only picked up three wins from six games during the Origin period – the part of the season where they traditionally make their push towards the finals. But a spot in 11th on the ladder is all they have to show for their efforts so far this season, and with star playmaker Shaun Johnson out injured for the foreseeable future, it’s tough to seem them mounting a serious challenge for the eight.